In Finland, it is increasingly common to be a vegetarian. The reasons are many: some think about environment, some their health and some the cute animals that they pity. There are also many degrees of vegetarianism that the most common are: Vegans eat nothing of animal origin (including animal-derived substances).Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat dairy and egg products as well as vegetarian food.Semi-vegetarians eat mainly vegetarian food with occasional inclusion of fish, chicken, dairy and egg products. Generally, you can find many different types of vegetarian alternatives to replace the meat or dairy product in your supermarket and still keep your meal quite similar as with meat included. So you can also easily variate the recipes found on this Wiki. Here are some tips: Textured soy protein chunks (soijarouhe)
(www.soyappetit.fi)
You can find it both dark ("minced meat -like") and light but the colour is the only difference. You don't need to cook it, just let swell a minute or two and it's ready! You can replace the meat in a dish or add it in your muesli, for example. The best thing is: it is really cheap! It only costs around 3 euros and lasts for dozen of times. To save money, you can replace just a part of your meat with soy protein. And yes, it includes lots of protein! It also includes a lot of fiber and minerals but barely anyfat at all. However, you should note that soy protein doesn't really taste of much on its own, so you have to add a good amount of spices and seasoning to give it flavour. There are also other dried soy products with the same texture but in different form: Soy strips (soijasuikaleet)
(www.soyappetit.fi)
The soy strips you need to boil in, for example, vegetable broth for a few minutes, but after that you can use them to replace chicken strips in sauces, stir fries etc.
You can also find ready-made soyballs, veggie-burgers, sausages, nuggets, crushed soy etc. in the freezer in a supermarket:
(www.halsanskok.fi)
Another ready-made meat-like vegetarian alternative in the freezer is quorn. It is made of mycoprotein, one type of mushroom protein - without tasting of mushroom too much. It includes a high amount of protein, only a little fat and no cholesterol at all. It really cheats the meat eaters with its meatlikely texture and taste! ;)
Packaging-fi-250x250-Nuggetit
(www.quorn.fi) To replace the protein of the meat, many vegetarians use beans, chickpeas and lentils instead. You can find them both dried (you have to soak and boil them) and as ready-made canned-food. Both options are cheap and you can store them for a long time. Lentils include the most protein and are fastest tocook out of these three. Dried brown beans and canned organic kidney beans:
(www.gogreen.fi)
Chickpeas in a can:
(www.bonduelle.fi)
Red lentils:
(//www.ekolo.fi/merkki/aduki)
Different kinds of nuts and seeds are also a good source of protein but keep the amount low since they also contain a lot of fat (healthy vegetarian fat though). Here are some of the options: Peanuts: In Finland, you can find bare peanuts in any grocery store, and they are also the cheapest option out of different types of nuts. Tip: you can roast them a bit on the pan to make them taste really good!
(www.eldorado.fI)
Peanut butter:
(www.foodie.fi)
Whole almonds and almond cross:
(www.rainbow.fi)
Sunflower seeds:
(www.ekolo.fi/merkki/aduki)
Of course you can find a great amount of vegetables to complete your diet. It is recommended to eat at least half a kilogram vegetables every day. If you follow a vegetarian diet, it is also important to take care that you get enough protein. You can even find proteins among the fresh vegetables. Mushrooms are often home-grown, unprocessed and include a high amount of protein and low amount of fat. The most common fresh mushrooms are champignons and chantarelles: Champignons (herkkusienet):
(www.makumaku.fi) Chantarelles (kanttarellit):
(www.satokausikalenteri.fi) Avocado also includes some protein, especially compared to other fruits, and healthy vegetable fat. Be careful thought, because it includes a lot of fat. Avocado (avokado):
(www.medicalnewstoday.com) Many vegetarians eat dairy and egg products. In that case, it is easy to add the source of protein, fat and good taste with for example different types of cheeses or egg. Often, it is althougt not the best alternative considering the environment. Even the dairy products, such as milk and yogurt, are easy to replace with various alternatives. Those are handy also if your body can't tolerate milk. Soy drink includes as much protein, calsium and vitamin D as milk. You can find it with different flavours. For those who are for example allergic to soy there are rice and oat milk. For environmental reasons, oat is a good alternaive since it is usually Finnish or Swedish grown.
(www.myprojectisme.fitfashion.fi) Soy "yoghurt":
(www.alpro.com) Oat whipped "cream":
Vegans eat nothing of animal origin (including animal-derived substances).Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat dairy and egg products as well as vegetarian food.Semi-vegetarians eat mainly vegetarian food with occasional inclusion of fish, chicken, dairy and egg products.
Generally, you can find many different types of vegetarian alternatives to replace the meat or dairy product in your supermarket and still keep your meal quite similar as with meat included. So you can also easily variate the recipes found on this Wiki. Here are some tips:
Textured soy protein chunks (soijarouhe)
(www.soyappetit.fi)
You can find it both dark ("minced meat -like") and light but the colour is the only difference.
You don't need to cook it, just let swell a minute or two and it's ready! You can replace the meat in a dish or add it in your muesli, for example. The best thing is: it is really cheap! It only costs around 3 euros and lasts for dozen of times. To save money, you can replace just a part of your meat with soy protein.
And yes, it includes lots of protein! It also includes a lot of fiber and minerals but barely anyfat at all. However, you should note that soy protein doesn't really taste of much on its own, so you have to add a good amount of spices and seasoning to give it flavour.
There are also other dried soy products with the same texture but in different form:
Soy strips (soijasuikaleet)
(www.soyappetit.fi)
The soy strips you need to boil in, for example, vegetable broth for a few minutes, but after that you can use them to replace chicken strips in sauces, stir fries etc.
You can also find ready-made soyballs, veggie-burgers, sausages, nuggets, crushed soy etc. in the freezer in a supermarket:
(www.halsanskok.fi)
Another ready-made meat-like vegetarian alternative in the freezer is quorn. It is made of mycoprotein, one type of mushroom protein - without tasting of mushroom too much. It includes a high amount of protein, only a little fat and no cholesterol at all. It really cheats the meat eaters with its meatlikely texture and taste! ;)
(www.quorn.fi)
To replace the protein of the meat, many vegetarians use beans, chickpeas and lentils instead. You can find them both dried (you have to soak and boil them) and as ready-made canned-food. Both options are cheap and you can store them for a long time. Lentils include the most protein and are fastest tocook out of these three.
Dried brown beans and canned organic kidney beans:
(www.gogreen.fi)
Chickpeas in a can:
(www.bonduelle.fi)
Red lentils:
(//www.ekolo.fi/merkki/aduki)
Different kinds of nuts and seeds are also a good source of protein but keep the amount low since they also contain a lot of fat (healthy vegetarian fat though). Here are some of the options:
Peanuts: In Finland, you can find bare peanuts in any grocery store, and they are also the cheapest option out of different types of nuts. Tip: you can roast them a bit on the pan to make them taste really good!
(www.eldorado.fI)
Peanut butter:
(www.foodie.fi)
Whole almonds and almond cross:
(www.rainbow.fi)
Sunflower seeds:
(www.ekolo.fi/merkki/aduki)
Of course you can find a great amount of vegetables to complete your diet. It is recommended to eat at least half a kilogram vegetables every day. If you follow a vegetarian diet, it is also important to take care that you get enough protein. You can even find proteins among the fresh vegetables.
Mushrooms are often home-grown, unprocessed and include a high amount of protein and low amount of fat. The most common fresh mushrooms are champignons and chantarelles:
Champignons (herkkusienet):
(www.makumaku.fi)
Chantarelles (kanttarellit):
(www.satokausikalenteri.fi)
Avocado also includes some protein, especially compared to other fruits, and healthy vegetable fat. Be careful thought, because it includes a lot of fat.
Avocado (avokado):
(www.medicalnewstoday.com)
Many vegetarians eat dairy and egg products. In that case, it is easy to add the source of protein, fat and good taste with for example different types of cheeses or egg. Often, it is althougt not the best alternative considering the environment. Even the dairy products, such as milk and yogurt, are easy to replace with various alternatives. Those are handy also if your body can't tolerate milk.
Soy drink includes as much protein, calsium and vitamin D as milk. You can find it with different flavours. For those who are for example allergic to soy there are rice and oat milk. For environmental reasons, oat is a good alternaive since it is usually Finnish or Swedish grown.
(www.myprojectisme.fitfashion.fi)
Soy "yoghurt":
(www.alpro.com)
Oat whipped "cream":
(www.gogreen.fi)
Dictionary:
almond = manteli
avocado = avokado
(vegetarian) balls = (kasvis)pyörykät
bean = papu
black beans = mustapavut
broad / horse bean = härkäpapu
brown beans = ruskeat pavut
green beans = vihreät pavut
kidney beans = kidneypavut
white beans = valkoiset pavut
boil = keittää
cheese = juusto
chick peas = kikherneet
cream = kerma
wipped cream = vispikerma
diary product = maitotuote
dried = kuivattu
drink = juoma
egg = muna
lentils = linssit
green lentils = vihreät linssit
red lentils = punaiset linssit
meat = liha
milk = maito
mushroom = sieni
champignon = herkkusieni
chantarelle = kanttarelli
nuggets = nug(g)etit
nut = pähkinä
hazelnut = hasselpähkinä
peanut = maapähkinä
walnut = saksanpähkinä
oat = kaura
pea = herne
peanut butter = maapähkinävoi /maapähkinälevite
peeled = kuorittu
roasted = paahdettu
seed = siemen
pumpkin seed = kurpitsan siemen
sesame seed = seesaminsiemen
sunflower seed =auringonkukansiemen
soak = liottaa
soy = soija
soyprotein (chunk) = soija(proteiini)rouhe
strip = suikale
vegan = vegaani
vegetarian (person) = kasvissyöjä / vegetaristivegetarian (adjectiv) = kasvis- (as a prefix in compounds)
veggieburger = kasvispihvi
yohurt = jogurtti
Refereces:
http://vegaaniliitto.fi/tietoa
http://soyappetit.fi/
http://www.halsanskok.fi/
http://www.quorn.fi/
http://gogreen.fi/
http://www.oatly.com/
http://www.alpro.com/